Becoming independent

Published: Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 9:54 p.m.

In 1960, when John F. Kennedy was running for president, I decided to become a Democrat, based, I suppose, on purely youthful emotional reasons. Only once have I voted for a candidate of another political party, Buddy Roemer over David Duke, for obvious reasons. Until the last few years, I have not had a reason to change to another political party.

However, more and more, I am seriously contemplating becoming an independent with no party affiliation.

My reasons are many, but they all revolve around the ever-increasing vicious, negative and personal-attack campaigning that most candidates now seem compelled to resort to. Most campaign ads speak to what is personally wrong with the other guy. Very few offer sound proposals and plans for solving problems. Some are so ludicrous that only the uninformed could possibly believe them. For example, if a candidate for political office deliberately invited illegal immigrants into the country or if a candidate deliberately tried to protect a major corporation at the expense of his constituents, then that candidate would have to be labeled as stupid, and who would vote for a stupid candidate anyway?

It is almost as if candidates believe it is their obligation to appeal to the persons who are uninformed and who have low political intelligence. They seem to take for granted those of us who are informed, who have a certain measure of political intelligence, but who have also been loyal to their party over the years. The Democrats, the Republicans, the Libertarians, the “tea partiers” are equally at fault here.

Well, the time has come where I will no longer be taken for granted. The time has come for candidates to offer solutions to more and more complex problems that face our country, region and state, and personal attacks on opponents will no longer suffice.

Quite frankly, on Nov. 2, I do not know whom I will vote for because no candidate has sufficiently discussed his or her plans for collaborations that will result in positive solutions. But I will say that henceforth candidates will have to do that if they want my vote. I hope other voters with similar concerns will make this same commitment.

<p>In 1960, when John F. Kennedy was running for president, I decided to become a Democrat, based, I suppose, on purely youthful emotional reasons. Only once have I voted for a candidate of another political party, Buddy Roemer over David Duke, for obvious reasons. Until the last few years, I have not had a reason to change to another political party.</p><p>However, more and more, I am seriously contemplating becoming an independent with no party affiliation.</p><p>My reasons are many, but they all revolve around the ever-increasing vicious, negative and personal-attack campaigning that most candidates now seem compelled to resort to. Most campaign ads speak to what is personally wrong with the other guy. Very few offer sound proposals and plans for solving problems. Some are so ludicrous that only the uninformed could possibly believe them. For example, if a candidate for political office deliberately invited illegal immigrants into the country or if a candidate deliberately tried to protect a major corporation at the expense of his constituents, then that candidate would have to be labeled as stupid, and who would vote for a stupid candidate anyway?</p><p>It is almost as if candidates believe it is their obligation to appeal to the persons who are uninformed and who have low political intelligence. They seem to take for granted those of us who are informed, who have a certain measure of political intelligence, but who have also been loyal to their party over the years. The Democrats, the Republicans, the Libertarians, the “tea partiers” are equally at fault here.</p><p>Well, the time has come where I will no longer be taken for granted. The time has come for candidates to offer solutions to more and more complex problems that face our country, region and state, and personal attacks on opponents will no longer suffice.</p><p>Quite frankly, on Nov. 2, I do not know whom I will vote for because no candidate has sufficiently discussed his or her plans for collaborations that will result in positive solutions. But I will say that henceforth candidates will have to do that if they want my vote. I hope other voters with similar concerns will make this same commitment.</p><p>O. Cleveland Hill</p><p>Thibodaux</p>